rWho is in charge of your life?  You or God?  If you are in charge then you are self centered.  If God is in charge you are Christ Centered.  You are either serving yourself, living for yourself or serving and living for God.  No one but you and God can transform your life.  Trust me, I know...I have tried to transform others and it doesn't work :)

It is up to you to decide who you will serve.  When you choose to change and turn from your current ways and let God direct your path, you will be amazed.  You will start looking at life in a whole different way.  You will want to show love and kindness to people, even strangers.  God can transform the way you think and act if you will let him.  When you are ready, he will gladly take over when you give up/surrender to his ways.  If your life is a mess or you know deep in your heart that things could be different/better, now is the time to let go of your ways and surrender to His.  When you allow the Holy Spirit (God living inside of you) to guide your paths, you will produce good fruit.  The good fruit consists of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.  It is a choice and it is up to you.  He is waiting for you to knock on his door so he can open it to you, if you sense that He is trying to speak to you then believe by Faith that He is. He will give you all that you need if you cry out to Him for it. Tell Him you are not satisfied with your life now and you want a New Life, you want to stop doing things that bring you guilt and make you feel shame and you want to live a better life by doing better things. He will listen to anyone who honestly seeks Him!

Job 36:5

176. • The Message (MSG)
       "It's true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn't bully innocent people. For the wicked, though, it's a different story— he doesn't give them the time of day, but champions the rights of their victims. He never takes his eyes off the righteous; he honors them lavishly, promotes them endlessly. When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend, God tells them where they've gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble. He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life. If they obey and serve him, they'll have a good, long life on easy street. But if they disobey, they'll be cut down in their prime and never know the first thing about life. Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles. Living it up in sexual excesses, virility wasted, they die young. But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers from their suffering.
       Job 36:4-6 (in Context) Job 36 (Whole Chapter)

John 6:43
The Message (MSG)
Jesus said, "Don't bicker among yourselves over me. You're not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. This is what the prophets meant when they wrote, 'And then they will all be personally taught by God.' Anyone who has spent any time at all listening to the Father, really listening and therefore learning, comes to me to be taught personally—to see it with his own eyes, hear it with his own ears, from me, since I have it firsthand from the Father. No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father—and you can see me.

Job 20:4
The Message (MSG)
"Don't you even know the basics, how things have been since the earliest days, when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth? The good times of the wicked are short-lived; godless joy is only momentary. The evil might become world famous, strutting at the head of the celebrity parade, But still end up in a pile of dung. Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, 'What's that?' They fly off like a dream that can't be remembered, like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light. Though once notorious public figures, now they're nobodies, unnoticed, whether they come or go. Their children will go begging on skid row, and they'll have to give back their ill-gotten gain. Right in the prime of life, and youthful and vigorous, they'll die.


Job 22:1
The Message (MSG)
[ Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round ] [ Come to Terms with God ] Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme: "Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand, or smart enough to give him advice? So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice? Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he'd applaud? Do you think it's because he cares about your purity that he's disciplining you, putting you on the spot? Hardly! It's because you're a first-class moral failure, because there's no end to your sins. When people came to you for help, you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness. You wouldn't so much as give a drink to the thirsty, or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry. And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone, surrounded by immense wealth! You turned poor widows away from your door; heartless, you crushed orphans. Now you're the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear. Suddenly the tables have turned! How do you like living in the dark, sightless, up to your neck in flood waters?

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October 12, 2007 -- Moving Heaven and Earth -- Hebrews 12:25-29 

Become a Strong Woman Who Rises to Fight

Whitney Hopler

Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Holly Wagner's new book, Warrior Chicks, (Regal, 2007).

Life is full of crises that can defeat you if you go through them passively. But no matter what type of crisis comes your way – a scary medical diagnosis, an unexpected financial burden, a painful broken relationship – you can emerge victorious if you rise to fight.

Here’s how you can become a warrior who taps into the power to overcome anything:

Believe that you’re beautiful. Combat the lie that the culture often perpetuates – that you’re not beautiful enough and must constantly work to hide your flaws. Embrace the truth that you’re beautiful just as you are, because God made you that way on purpose. Ask God to help you see yourself as He sees you. Instead of comparing yourself to others, be grateful for your uniquely beautiful features. Live in the confidence of God’s love for you.

Stay at your post. Don’t abandon your responsibilities in the various roles you fulfill. Remember that, if you keep working at whatever you’re doing – as a wife, mom, employee, friend, volunteer, or in some other capacity – God will eventually bring about valuable results from your efforts. Realize that the contributions you make to the world through your faithfulness will encourage not just people you know, but also future generations.

Focus on your ultimate goal. Don’t allow the battle you’re in to cause you to lose sight of your ultimate goal – to fulfill God’s purposes for your life. Pray for God to regularly remind you of His vision for you. Make decisions based on God’s unchanging truth rather than on your changing emotions. Eliminate activities that distract you from devoting your time and energy to what’s most important. Look beyond disappointments to where you want to go, and keep moving forward. Shift your focus from your own needs to the needs of others to get a fuller and healthier perspective. Instead of becoming preoccupied with what you need, remember what God has done for you so far and trust Him to continue to do what’s best for you. Ask God to regularly remind you of your destiny so you can keep in mind why it’s important to do what He calls you to do.

Pass the baton. Share the wisdom you gain from your own experiences with other women who are younger than you. Aim to equip, motivate, inspire and train younger women. Ask God to show you which life lessons you can best share with others. If you’re a single mom whose children have become faithful adults, let a single mom whose kids are still young know what you know. If you were in debt but broke free, share how with someone who’s currently struggling financially. Know that you likely have learned valuable insights after many different types of experiences; consider how you can take all you’ve learned and use it to help others. Remember that at any given moment you’re both an older woman and a younger woman to other people. Listen carefully and humbling to older women when they share their wisdom with you; learn all you can from them.

Fight alongside others. Realize that God never intended for you to wage your battles in isolation; He wants you to connect with others and work to overcome challenges together. Ask God to help you love other people the way He wants you to, despite how different they are from you. Find a healthy church and actively participate in the life of it, building meaningful relationships with others. Discover your natural talents and spiritual gifts, develop them, and use them alongside others to bring glory to God together. Don’t compare yourself to others or compete with them; instead, focus on your common goal of serving God. Understand that you are each significant because you each have an important role to play in fulfilling purposes greater than yourselves. Acknowledge that you and your fellow believers need each other. Do your best to listen to each other when you each face challenges, and to look for evidence at God at work in those situations. Encourage each other, support each other, hold each other accountable, forgive each other, and pray for each other.

Get dressed in spiritual clothes. Put on your helmet of salvation by guarding your mind with the confidence you have in Christ. Wear the breastplate of righteousness by living with integrity, always choosing to do what’s right even when you don’t feel like it. Put on the belt of truth by grounding yourself in God’s truth (through church, the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the advice of believers you trust) and constantly seeking God’s guidance before making decisions. Wear the shoes of peace by refusing to allow your emotions to guide your decisions and letting God’s peace rule every step you make. Put on the shield of faith by combating evil lies with biblical truth and placing your trust in God and His promises. Pick up the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God – by getting to know the Bible well and speaking relevant Scripture to the problems you face, declaring that God’s truth will prevail in those situations.

Use the authority God has given you. Make full use of the authority you have as a Christian: such as the authority to follow God’s guidance to make wise choices, the authority to rely on God’s help to forgive, the authority to sow seeds that will grow into healthy results you can reap, and the authority to line up your thoughts with the truth. Know that once you’ve listened to God about how you should fight each battle you encounter, success or failure depends on your own faithfulness. Make use of the all the power you have at your disposal to fight faithfully.

Train for battle. Be sure to prepare for the battles you’ll face so you’ll be ready. Practice doing what’s right – like loving your husband even when he’s difficult or being health conscious even when you’re tempted to eat too much dessert – over and over until it becomes a habit for you. Ask God to help you be aware of what most needs your attention every day. Once you’re alerted to those situations, pray about them. Do your best to be faithful in the little tasks God calls you to do so He will entrust you with bigger tasks. Persevere through your training, realizing that it’s a process that takes time. Gradually increase your capacity to serve God, and invite Him to increase your spiritual maturity as a result.

Move from a victim to an overcomer. Decide that you won’t let any situation – no matter how challenging – destroy you. When you’ve been wounded, seek healing from God to move from being a victim to being a survivor. But don’t stop there; take what you’ve learned from the experience and use it to help other people. When you do that, you become an overcomer. Pray for God to reveal and remind you of His purposes for your life. Then do all you can to fulfill them.

Be brave. When times get especially tough, don’t give up, but keep your focus on the great cause for which you’re fighting – God’s kingdom. Pray for the courage you need to keep fighting boldly. Make the very best contributions you can make to the world while you’re here. Ask God to keep you from getting apathetic and regularly stir your soul with fresh passion for fulfilling His purposes for you. Aim to give your best until your life here is over and you meet God face to face.

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August 6, 2009

Today's Prayer
God I pray that you take me out of my comfort zone. I pray that you break my heart to pieces for the poor and needy so that I will be driven beyond belief to look after them like you would. Father, forgive me for being so self centered. Forgive me for being all about me, myself and I. Forgive me for my sometimes stupid, ridiculous, religious opinions about absolute rubbish while people that you love and cherish suffer due to my inaction and selfish, consumer attitude. God forgive me and set me free from mammon and raise me up into a person of compassion and love like you are. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.



Stephen: A Marketplace Minister
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
08-06-2009

"Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Acts 6:8-9).

In the beginnings of the early church, the disciples were seeing God move in mighty ways. The disciples found themselves preaching the word of God all over the region. However, there became practical needs that arose among the people that the disciples were tending to. However, due to their preaching, these needs were not being met adequately. One of these needs involved food distribution to widows. There became an issue as to whether the needs of all the widows were being cared for. This brought pressure upon the disciples who felt their primary focus must be to preach the gospel. They now realized they could not do both adequately. This led them to appoint seven men whose lives qualified for service as leaders to serve these needs.

The first man named to fill this responsibility was Stephen, described as a man full of faith and the Holy Ghost; with a strong faith in Christ. He was full of courage, gifts and graces. He was an extraordinary man, and excelled in every thing that was good; his name signified a crown.

This was a time when the church began mobilizing other marketplace believers for ministry in the community. Stephen was the first chosen and interestingly, became the first martyred believer. One of the most interesting things one can notice when the disciples took this action is described in these passages. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7). It is as though the Lord took the cap off and everything started happening. Even a large number of priests came into the faith.

Take an inventory of your life today and determine if someone could describe your life as a person "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, and one who does great wonders and miraculous things." If not, begin asking God today to accomplish this in your life.

www.churchgrowth.org